1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cartridge for containing expendable material adapted to image recording, and for being set in an image recorder device, such as a printer, telefacsimile machine, duplicator or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method, device, system and recording medium for detecting improper cartridge for detecting improper cartridge and inhibiting a user of the same.
The improper cartridge is defined as the cartridge not suitable for the image recorder device. Examples of the improper cartridge are one in which expendable material is used up, one loaded again with the expendable material, the cartridge being disassembled, the cartridge different from a genuine type, and the like. If reloading of the expendable material is reloaded for a plurality of times, the cartridge becomes the improper cartridge when the number of times of reloading the cartridge with the expendable material comes up to an upper limit. There are plural examples of the expendable material different between kinds of the image recorder device with which the cartridge is loaded. If the cartridge is for use with an electrophotographic type of the printer, then the expendable material is toner. If in an ink jet printer, the expendable material is ink. If in a thermal printer, the expendable material is ink ribbon.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
In an electrophotographic type of the printer, a laser scanning optical system is incorporated, and used with a toner cartridge loaded with toner as developing medium. In the toner cartridge, a predetermined amount of the toner is accommodated. The toner cartridge is set in the printer in an exchangeable manner. The use of the toner cartridge makes it unnecessary to use a supply bottle for supplying a toner chamber of the printer with the toner. It follows that a user s hands or clothes are free from being contaminated with the toner. Also, operation of supply of the toner is very simple because of a renewal of the toner cartridge.
As an extensive form of the toner cartridge, a process cartridge is also known, and has a structure with a photoreceptor drum, a charger roller, a developer roller, a cleaning structure and the like. The process cartridge is loaded with toner at an amount determined in consideration of a lifetime of the photoreceptor drum and the other elements, which can be renewed at the same time as the renewal of the toner. This is advantageous in simplicity in maintaining operation. The process cartridge makes it unnecessary for a user to have a contract with a dealer or agent for periodical maintenance. So the process cartridge is widely used with the printer of a personal type.
In both of the toner cartridge and process cartridge, an indicator is caused to indicate shortage of toner when a remaining amount of the toner decreases to an amount insufficient for printing, which is disclosed in the prior art portion of JP-A 07-028320. Then the toner cartridge or process cartridge is replaced with a new cartridge. The state of the shortage is detected by measuring a remaining toner amount in a remaining toner measurer. The remaining toner measurer has a structure including a light source and a photo sensor both disposed in a cartridge chamber for setting of the cartridge. Two lateral walls of the cartridge are provided with respectively transparent windows, through which light from the light source becomes incident upon the photo sensor. When the remaining toner amount of the toner is still much, light from the light source is blocked by the toner, to decrease an output of the photo sensor. When the remaining toner amount of the toner decreases, the output of the photo sensor increases. Accordingly, it is judged that shortage of the toner occurs when the output of the photo sensor comes up to a predetermined lower limit.
A printer manufacturer supplies plural types of genuine cartridges for respectively types of printers. The cartridge from the printer manufacturer is handled by a dealer before being sold to a user. A used cartridge without toner is returned to the dealer and then withdrawn by the printer manufacturer. To recycle the cartridge, the printer manufacturer disassembles the cartridge, inspects various parts, and reuses normal parts among them. Plastic parts from the cartridge are melted and pelletized, and recycled as material to be molded again. The recycle of the cartridge is advantageous in reducing a cost of the cartridge.
It is likely that a part of numerous used cartridges are sent to a reloading agent. The reloading agent receives a user s request, disassembles the cartridge and reloads it with toner to meet the user s request. Furthermore, some reloading agent buys numerous used cartridges, reloads them with the toner and sells the regenerated cartridges at a considerably lower cost than that of the genuinely shipped cartridges being unused.
In the genuine cartridge, toner of the genuine type is contained and has appropriate characteristics. The toner of the genuine type has a composition determined in consideration of processing characteristics of the printer, including a characteristic of a photoreceptor drum, a charging voltage, a cleaning characteristic and a fixing characteristic. The toner used by the reloading agent, however, has a composition different from that of the genuine type, and is likely to lower printing quality. Also, the toner is likely to stick to a fixer roller to damage the fixer roller.
The unauthorized loading of toner causes a drop in the image quality or a breakage of the printer. However, users are likely to suppose that a problem occurs in the printer to lower the image quality or cause a breakage without awareness of the problem of the toner. Thus, reputation to the quality of the printer is lost seriously no matter how high the reputation of the printer manufacturer of the printer has been raised. The most critical users may discontinue using or buying all products manufactured by the printer manufacturer.
To maintain ensured reputation of the printer, it is necessary to apply various countermeasures against causes for low quality in the image. Reloading of expendable material such as toner and ink should be prevented. The reuse of the improper cartridge reloaded with the expendable material should be avoided.
To prevent reloading of expendable material, JP-A 07-028320 discloses a use of the process cartridge including a counter and an electromagnetic brake. The counter counts the number of produced prints. The electromagnetic brake blocks rotation of the developer roller. A used amount of the toner is measured indirectly according to the number of prints. When the number of the prints comes up to a reference number, it is estimated that shortage of the toner has occurred. Then the electromagnetic brake is actuated. Rotation of the developer roller is blocked by the electromagnetic brake, to inhibit the use of the process cartridge. Once the toner decreases to at most a predetermined limit, the process cartridge cannot be used irrespective of existence or lack of addition of the toner. As a result, the process cartridge, containing a sufficient amount of the toner but in which the electromagnetic brake operates, is determined as improper, because reloaded with the toner.
Powever, the technique according to JP-A 07-028320 has a problem. Before the electromagnetic brake operates, a certain amount of toner remains. If the cartridge is loaded with the toner in a manner of partial reloading, the process cartridge becomes reusable in an unexpected manner. Furthermore, there are differences in the number of letters between prints. If the remaining amount of the toner is estimated according to the number of the prints, the result of the estimating the remaining toner amount may be different from an accurate value. Even when there remains a considerable amount of the toner, the electromagnetic brake may operate to inhibit the use of the process cartridge. This results in waste of the resource.
In the known technique for preventing reloading of expendable material, the electromagnetic brake is required in the process cartridge, which must have a complicated and large structure and have a high cost. Furthermore, a reloading agent or other persons can visually understand the state of operating the electromagnetic brake. The reloading agent is ready to eliminate the electromagnetic brake or release the process cartridge from operation of the electromagnetic brake for the purpose of disassembling the process cartridge. Thus, the electromagnetic brake is not sufficiently effective for preventing reloading.
There is a known example of the process cartridge in which cartridge parts, including the photoreceptor drum, charger roller and developer roller, are improved to have a longer lifetime. It is conceivable to recycle the process cartridge by adding toner in a reloading manner. However, there occurs a problem in lowering the image quality with time due to the repeated use of the cartridge parts. This is because the cartridge parts are used for a considerably long time by repeated supply of the toner. There is no consideration for determining the lifetime of the cartridge according to durability of the cartridge parts.